A Full Guide to Facial Piercings

It can be called ’90s nostalgia. Or work-from-home freedom. Or pandemic give-no-fucks energy. Whatever the reason, more people are opting to complement ear piercings by adding facial embellishments.

Jim Kelly, Banter by Piercing Pagoda’s head piercer, says that tattoos and piercings have become more culturally acceptable. If you have an eyebrow-piercing and can do your job better that someone without, then you should still be considered for the job. Banter’s most in-demand facial piercings are the septums and eyebrows. Kelly is referring to the nineties nostalgia that we have already seen in hair, makeup and nail art.

The friendly neighborhood piercers will gladly accommodate your requests, from nose to tongue. But don’t ask them how much it hurts. Bethrah Szumski is the owner of Virtue & Vice. She says that how we feel discomfort can be more important than where a piercing hits our bodies. It is a permanent makeup and body piercing studio in Atlanta.

How comfortable a piercing is for you will depend on your personal factors, such as how emotional you are or how well you slept the night before. Keep reading to discover that the least painful and most comfortable piercings don’t always feel like you would expect.

Szumski recommends that you search safepiercer.org for potential piercers before making an appointment. This is the website of the Association of Professional Piercers. You should also check out the portfolio of potential piercers to verify that they have experience in the same area as you are looking for and to ensure your styles match.

After you have found the right piercer, you can go — with this facial-piercing guide by your side.

Septum

Kelly claims that the septum is the most requested piercing at Banter. He believes the reason is the versatility of the piercing. He says, «You can have jewelry that is hard to see or some serious bling.» You can have something hanging from your nose, or anywhere else. It is also easy to hide — after about two to three month, the piercing has healed, you can flip the item up inside your nostrils and nobody will notice it. It’s important to not hide it like the college friend of this editor, who attempted to conceal it from her parents at Thanksgiving dinner. However, she forgot to put it up during a break in the bathroom and pulled it down again.

Lip

The sky is the limit when it comes to lip-piercings. You can pierce your upper, lower, middle, and slightly off-center lips. You’ll begin with a stud, and you can change to a hooped once your piercing has healed. Many people change to a hoop after having trouble eating or it becomes too irritating on their teeth. Kelly, who lip-pierces himself, says that this is not the case for him.

Kelly advises that you limit movement while recovering. Kelly suggests that you use a cleaning solution supplied by your piercer twice daily to «irrigate» the area. Avoid using alcohol-based mouthwash. Also, avoid agents such as rubbing alcohol, peroxide and Neosporin. These will cause the skin to dry out and crack, making it take longer for the skin to heal.

Nostril

Kelly says that a regular nostril puncturing is the most popular. Kelly believes it will be around forever. A standard nostril piercing is not to be confused with a bridge or high nostril (more to follow). It goes through the soft cartilage on the lower side of the nose. The piercer will use a stud to puncture your nostril. It is recommended that you wait two to four months for the nostrils to heal completely before changing to a hoop. This can be done in-studio. As you can see, you don’t have to pierce just one nostril. You can also embellish your nose with as much as gold as you like.

Eyebrow

Kelly states, «I have been telling people this and I believe I’m correct about it: Eyebrow piercings were popular in the nineties because they are back.» Szumski concurs with this theory. However, she has noticed that customers prefer eyebrow piercings closer towards the sides of their noses than the nineties-era placement at the outer edge. Both methods can be used. One advantage to eyebrows is their pain-free nature. Many people tweeze and wax the area. You may be used to some discomfort. No matter where the eyebrows were placed, they should heal within six to eight weeks.

Bridge

Take a small amount of the space between your eyes, and pinch it. Is it soft? Is it pulling away from your face? If it does, then you may be a candidate to have a bridge piercing. This is horizontal piercing which runs across the top of your nose. Szumski says that a bridge heals very well. People can return to normal in two to three months. Sometimes there is a lot of swelling at the beginning, but it heals quickly if it’s done properly.

Labret Upper (and Lower)

Kelly says that the term «labret» is also used to refer to any piercings around the lip rim. The «regular» labret runs through the middle of the lower lips, but it can also be done on top, as shown in the above image. Szumski calls the labret «advanced» and prefers to do them on clients who are familiar with other body piercings.

High Nostril

These piercings are also known as «high nostril» because they have matching studs in the middle of the nose. Kelly says that this piercing is «really a partnership between piercers and clients.» The piercer will first examine your nose to determine how high they can pierce it. After that, the client will decide where the stud should go. Szumski, not to mention the above photo, states that most people who visit for high nostril surgery have either a septum, bridge, or standard nostril puncturing. A high nostril piercing is similar to an ear stack. It looks better when it’s surrounded by friends.

Tongue

The best thing about tongue piercings is that they are relatively painless. Kelly says that tongue piercings can seem intense and scary from the customer’s perspective. Most people describe the procedure as a pinch or less. The worst part is the swelling of your tongue, which can make it difficult to eat or do other tongue-centric activities. While the majority of swelling will subside within five to seven days your tongue may not return to its normal size for several weeks.

Cheek

The cheek piercings are designed to look like dimples and require a lot of time to heal. There are a few options for cheek piercings. Before you make an appointment, check out the certifications and portfolio of your piercer to ensure that you are compatible with their cheek work.

Surface Piercing (Cheekbone)

Surface piercing is any piercing that lies flat on the skin. There are many areas that can be pierced on the skin. However, there is one spot that’s popular: the upper cheekbone look. This is sometimes called an «anti-brow» piercing. Szumski mentions that surface piercings are sometimes difficult because the skin can push them out. A straight surface barbell should be used by your piercer, not a curved one.